‘BOOTS on the ground, planes in the air,’ Labour Prime Minister Starmer declared in the House of Commons yesterday.
In a speech to a packed House, Starmer announced the militarisation of the UK economy and threatened war against Russia.
He said: ‘Last Tuesday I announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War…
‘We must use the process of getting to 3% of our national income spent on defence to fundamentally rebuild British industry, use our investment in military spending to create new jobs and apprenticeships in every part of the country.
‘And that’s why last night I announced a deal that perfectly symbolises the new era. A partnership with Ukraine that allows them to use £1.6 billion of UK export finance to buy 5,000 air defence missiles manufactured in Belfast.
‘That means UK jobs, UK skills, UK finance pulling together for our national interest, putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position…
‘At the weekend we held a productive summit. Together we agreed a clear strategy – that the UK, France and our allies will work closely with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, which we will then discuss directly with the United States.
‘It’s a plan that has four clear principles, which I will now share in full with the House:
‘First, we must keep the military aid flowing, keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia, and to that end, alongside our partnership on air defence, we’re doubling down on military aid. Already this year we’ve taken our support to record levels. But on Saturday we also agreed a £2.2 million loan to Ukraine, backed not by the British taxpayer but by the profits of frozen Russian assets.
‘Second, we agreed that any lasting peace must guarantee the sovereignty and security of Ukraine and that Ukraine must be at the table that is negotiating their future.
‘Third, we agreed that in the event of a peace deal we will continue to boost Ukraine’s defences and Ukraine’s deterrent.
‘Finally, fourth, we agreed to develop a coalition of the willing, ready to defend a deal in Ukraine and guarantee the peace…
‘We must proceed with strength and that does now require, urgently a coalition of the willing. We agreed on Sunday that those willing to play a role in this will intensify planning now.
‘And as this House would expect, Britain will play a leading role, with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air.
‘It is right that Europe does the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent. But to succeed, this effort must have strong US backing.’
He then claimed: ‘Russia is a menace in our waters and skies. They’ve launched cyber attacks on our NHS, assassination attempts in our streets.
‘In this House we stand by Ukraine because it’s the right thing to do, but we also stand by them because it’s in our interests to do so, because if we do not achieve a lasting peace then the instability and insecurity that will hit the living standards of working people in Britain will only get worse and Putin’s appetite for conflict and chaos will only grow.
‘So a strong peace, a just peace, a lasting peace – that has now to be our goal – it is vital, it is in our interests and in its pursuit Britain will lead from the front, for the security of our continent, for the security of our country and the security of the British people.’
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